Train to Kurnool

(Wrote this like a coupla months back on a notepad... finally found its way to the blog...)

I met a cheerful old woman on the train from Hyd to Kurnool yesterday. Her face was calm and relaxed. Perhaps she reminded me of my grandmother, which is why I took an instant liking to her. She was dressed in an impeccable saree, the pleats neatly done up and looking never ever disturbed. Her hair was straight, white, and pinned up delicately. I watched as she went about checking all the pieces of luggage she had, as old people often do. She methodically went about cleaning her spectacles and keeping all the things in the places they ought to have been. Then she poked herself with a needle (insulin, I got to know later) rather nonchalantly.

Noticing my disappointment with the cold, dull, veg-biryani served on the train, she offered me a chapati, chhole and some curd-rice. My policy of not accepting anything to eat from anyone in a train went out of the window as I gleefully digged in. Then began the usual talk about where our families were, what I was doing, etc etc etc. Her command over English was exceptional and she spoke clearly and crisply.

We got talking about her family. 'Twas a typical Indian family for her generation; two sons, a daughter and their families, all well-settled. Everything seemed normal, until she told me about her husband. Sadly, he was paralysed and at home... for the last 18 years. My respect & admiration for her quadrupled after I heard this.

All this while, she had a warm smile on her glowing face. She'd pretty-much figured out how to smile through life despite all that it keeps throwing up.

A thing or two to reflect on, and learn, perhaps?

Condy, the three musketeers and what happened to the chick with the red top

Condi-pherry, Tindia.

Condy as its popularly known, was quite a unique destination. In a country where several people were obsessed with 'going abroad', it provided a cheaper and far easier alternative to experiencing a 'foreign' country life. The Trench had set foot in this place a few hundred years ago, and despite losing their colony to Tindia eventually, they had managed to leave a rich flavour of their culture behind. Not only that, several Trench people stayed on and were a 5000-strong community. The buildings and architecture in one part of the city was distinctly Trench. So much so that anyone visiting that area would definitely think he was in Trance rather than Tindia.

Condy was also known for its cheap liquor. It was, being a Union Territory, free from state taxes. Combined with its location by the sea, it made a strong case for a drunked weekend - Legend had it that after having a few glasses of Trench wine in Condy, people would be transported to the magical Trench Triviera, thousands of miles away. Of course, verification of this legend had to be done personally to satisfy ones curiosity.

Pseud Sing had been waiting for this trip for a loong time. His company (Fight Drank), was sending him to Condy to do a land valuation! It was going to be his first job-trip and he was pretty excited. But staying true to his 'I don't give a shit, life sucks' image, Pseud hid his excitement from his friends by playing it down as a purely business trip where he would be bored to death.

When Chromesh, Pseud's good friend from B-school got to know that Pseud will be in Condy, he immediately formulated a plan to meet-up and spend the long Christmas-weekend with him in Condy. Chromesh worked for an IT company in Dennai, which was just 3 hrs from Condy. Ever the sport for any travel activity, and a Condy-lover himself, the trip was an obviosity for Chromesh. He also called up his new-found partner-in-crime, Gopey and asked him to join them in Condy.

Gopey was from the same batch in B-school. He worked for an FMCG firm in Ghirupati, just 6 hours away from Condy. He'd already done Condy with Chromesh once, and loved the place. He'd recently been bitten by the travel bug and used to pack himself off to some place or the other on weekends. This, some felt, was more out of a desire to get out of a boring life in Ghirupati than to really travel and explore places. That, of course, was far from the reality. He was actually trying to run away from the hot women that used to surround him when he's in Ghirupati. The weekend was the only time he could squirm out with an excuse of meeting old friends. Much like Chromesh, who too was stuck with incredibly hot women in what is often called the 'Land where its easier to get a hot chick than to get a glass of water', Dennai.

Finally, the much awaited weekend arrived. Pseud Sing was the first to reach, before the weekend itself actually, for his work. Chromesh drove in from Dennai on his Bullet and joined Pseud on Thursday. Gopey meanwhile was busy pretending to be hard at work and decided to join them only on Friday evening.

The Thursday began for Chromesh & Pseud with a drinking binge of epic proportions. They had had so much beer in just a few hours that they had reached the magical Trench Triviera, which as we all know happens only after a few glasses of authentic Trench wine. Pseud couldn't have asked for a better start to the end of his first job-trip. Pseud was so proud for being among the first students from his B-school batch to go 'on-site' in another country - and this was not just any country, this was Trance! As they were riding around in the magical Trench Triviera, Chromesh realized that someone had sabotaged the back typre of his Bullet and it was punctured. He decided to pick a fight with one of the local goons and Pseud of course joined in. Luckily, Chromesh wasn't so angry and decided to let the criminal go with just a few strong words. Chromesh was well known for his extreme patience and it served to save this criminal from sure death... for Chromesh was strong, very strong. His new, and ongoing tryst, with a gym in Dennai had made him the only Super-Man on Dearth.

The trip to the magical Trench Triviera on Thursday was so fulfilling and intoxicating that Pseud and Chromesh didn't wake up on Friday morning. It was well into the afternoon when they awoke to Condy. Just about when Pseud was waking up, Gopey telephoned. He was acting pricey, saying that he won't be making the trip coz he was tired and that the travel would make him even tireder. (Of course, the real reason was that he'd fixed up a weekend date with one of the many hot women in Ghirupati, and he was strangely looking forward to it - possibly because she'd said 'This weekend or never'). Chromesh grabbed the phone from Pseud as soon as he heard rumblings of Gopey not coming. He fired Gopey left, right and center, telling him how the hell he could leave his friends and go off with some hot chick. Gopey had major introspection to do at this juncture and decided that friends were indeed more important. He chided himself for changing his mind so easily with the hollow promise of a 'now or never weekend-date'. He immediately picked up his weekend back-pack and left for Condy.

Gopey's ride to Condy was rather uneventful, apart from his bus running into a blacker-than-soot buffalo in the din of night. He finally reached Condy and greeted Pseud with his trademark "Pseuuuuuuuuud, wassup??" After the exchange of regular pleasantries, they decided it was too late in the night to make a trip to the magical Trench Triviera and just went to bed after a couple of beers.

The place they had for them was owned by a sweet Trench lady, Pascala. It was a room on the terrace of her house. Pseud was proud of himself for being able to use his legendary GLCSA (Good Looks, Charm & Sex Appeal) to get possession of the room. The lady had a very cute 8-year old daughter, Victoire. They had moved to Condy 2 years back. Pascala was so enamoured by this place that she'd left her native Trance to settle down in this dream-land. She was happy to have guests at home and treated them with utmost love and affection.

The bed was now really calling out to the gang. So much so, that they fell asleep even before they hit it. Pseud and Gopey were fast asleep when Chromesh felt a sudden urge to go to the magical Trench Triviera. Quietly he started gulping down all the remaining bottles of beer and drifted off to the magical Trench Triviera.

Saturday was going to be THE day. Gopey woke up early as usual and started fiddling with his laptop as soon as he'd finished his regular morning-activities. Realizing there was not much the laptop had to offer, especially since none of Gopey's hot girlfriends were online, he decided to make breakfast for himself. He was an accomplished chef and the aroma of the mouth-watering dish he was preparing woke Pseud up from his slumber. Chromesh though was still troddling around in the magical Trench Triviera and it would be a while before he returned.

Pseud and Gopey enjoyed the fantastic breakfast and waited for Chromesh to return. After a few hours, when he finally came back, they collectively decided to step out for lunch. They headed for Le Dupleix which was supposed to be the best Trench restaurant in town. They ordered salad, and pasta, and wine... it was a truly Trench experience. Chromesh though ordered local parathas and paneer subji as he felt the Trench food wouldn't ruffle his taste-buds.

After the awesome lunch, which lasted over 2 hours, they walked back to their place. They were greeted by some good news from Ms. Pascala. There was going to be a Trench party at night at a new place being opened by a friend of hers. Gopey was the mildly excited by the news and immediately started imagining himself surrounded by heavily-clad, somewhat hot Trench women - a welcome change from the usual rut of scantily clad, super-hot women in Ghirupati. Pseud was his usual self and acted as though this would be just another party that would make his already sucky life even suckier by reaffirming his 'single' status. But he was secretly hoping, and confident, that he would get back to his glory days where women used to swoon even the sight of a stamp-size photo of his left ear.

Chromesh's original plan was to leave back for Dennai in the evening itself before dinner as he had a very important 'meeting' to attend the next day. But upon hearing news of this party, Chromesh was the first to head to the bathroom to get ready, primed for assault!

As the three strode confidently towards the party-place, they could see people around them being blinded by their sheer presence. They were THE kings and they were going to RULE the night.

As they reached the scene, they found they were one of the first ones to arrive. They decided to start with a round of drinks and were joined by the cheerful Pascala almost just at the moment they were going to say "Cheers". She started telling stories about her life and how she loved Condy and how the world would have been an imperfect place if there was no Condy, etc, etc. The trio were rapt in attention to the colouful and vivacious Pascala. They failed to notice the heavily-clad, somewhat hot women who were streaming in. Pascala then took their leave as she had work to attend to and left the trio to themselves for the night.

By this time, all of them were down a few drinks, Gopey more so than the others. Pseud tried to look un-interested in the glances that were being thrown across the terrace by the white-top & hazel-eyed Trench girl. Gopey on the other hand was conveniently assuming that she was looking at him rather than Pseud. Chromesh was quietly surveying the scene as Pseud and Gopey exchanged glances with each other and then with the white-top. Gopey, confidently stode forward with what seemed to the others like a strong plan in mind. But after a few steps he veered off-course toward the food counter where he'd caught sight of the delicious prawn-idlys. Pseud finally decided he'd had enough of the arbitrary eye-exchanges and stepped right into the crowd of Trenchies. With his awesome grace and poise, he blended in with them as though he'd always belonged. He then called over Chromesh and Gopey to join him as he surveyed the scene. When they finally joined him, they actually found him to be animatedly in conversation with a tall white guy named Tim. He was from Banada, living and working in Dyena and down for a 'spiritual' trip to Tindia. Gopey tried to make his way toward the blue-top but Pseud called out to him and asked him to join them. Gopey grudgingly joined them as he was of the opinion that he'd have a good chance with blue-top, ever since that white-top had mysteriously disappeared from the scene.

So Pseud, Chromesh, Gopey & Tim were at their little group in front of the bar. Tim was an interesting chap and kept conversation flowing with some real wise-cracks. He declared that he was interested in the red-top but also that it had just not been his day till then, so he was not going to risk a move. The trio egged Tim on so that he would go for it. It had come to the point where it seemed like the trio were crazed fans cheering for their lone-striker to score the winning goal.

The drinks, meanwhile, were flowing... fast. Gopey had reached the brink of the magical Trench Triviera. He hobbled into the lone bathroom just by the side only to be surprisingly encountered by the white-top and the blue-top coming out of it… together. As soon as he looked at them, they gave him that 'deer caught in the headlights' look. Gopey faked the most fake 'Why hello, nice to meet you' smile and entered as they left. He came back out just in time for his refill of beer and his ticket to the magical Trench Triviera.

The gentle and patient Chromesh had been surveying the scene for a while and had decided that Purple-top was going to be his catch. But he found himself cheering Tim on. Later, he selflessly thought to himself. "Lets do this for Tim first". Pseud was so deeply involved in the cheering that he'd forgotten about white-top altogether. Tim FINALLY got up and walked towards red-top. The trio watched with anticipation and bated breath... Was their striker going to score?

The conversation started. Tim looked smooth. All that coaching and brain-washing from Pseud and Gopey seemed to be working. They saw Tim getting his fancy cell-phone out to take down a number as red-top spelled it out.

Gopey said, "Pseuuud, I think we've lost Tim for the night. You think you want to say hello to white-top?"

"Naah, I think I'd prefer to go to the magical Trench Triviera", Pseud giggled as he said.

"Can't agree more" added Chromesh "Lets make this a guy's night out... no more women! We stay together!"

And then they met soon in the magical Trench Triviera. This is what they'd come to Condy for.

--

Next morning, Chromesh had to leave early for his 'meeting'. Pseud and Gopey woke up later and packed their bags to go back. They bought little Victoire a big box of chocolates and said goodbye to Ms. Pascala, who promised to invite them for more Trench parties whenever they’d happen in town.

So ended the trio's trip to Condy, and not to mention, the magical Trench Triviera...

Au revoir!!

:-)

PS - All characters in this story are fictional and any resemblance to any person(s), living or dead, is purely coincidental

Happiness - II

In my first post on this topic, I had just about started exploring what is it that makes people happy. Its been over two months since that post...! (So much for trying to continue the series 'over the weekend'! How time flies..!)

Anyways, I had observed then that people in the towns and villages seemed visibly far happier than their big-city counterparts. I put this down to the lower expectations they had with their lives. Let me explore this notion a little further...

We're bombarded by information today. Be it the newspapers, television, internet or radio, they're all feeding us with reams and reams of data. This shapes the way perceive ourselves and the world around us, how we think, what we look forward to, what we detest...

Small town people live in relative oblivion. They're in their own little worlds - the place they live, their little locality and the place they work - things are generally very simple. When you speak with them, you're generally greeted by warm smiles and you can't help but notice their absolute zest and joy for life. (I came across a bunch of labourers in a small town close to Tirupati few days back... and these people were having a ball while working - passing around bricks and cement, singing songs and smiling ear to ear). One might argue that they're also exposed to a lot of information - Television & radio are now far more prevalent... Yes, but still, the language barrier means that they still watch and follow local programs. Their perceptions, thoughts, dreams are still largely, and very happily, local.

The situation is different for the city folk. My conjecture is that since city people are exposed to so much more information, they see a bigger world around them... They see that they're still not completely a part of this world.. Consequently, they want more money, a better job, more out of their relationships, better food... the list is endless.

Of course, there's nothing wrong in wanting it, is there? Everyone has ambitions. But the problem starts arising when they start expecting it, when they start saying "My life sucks coz I don't have x, y, z..." How often have we heard that statement? People live in frustration & denial of what they don't have yet... While, unfortunately, forgetting what they already have.

The concept of peer-pressure is also stronger in the city environment. Competition is intense, and no-one really wants to be left away from the crowd. Most people find it difficult to stay true to themselves in their eagerness to 'fit in' or 'get ahead'. This is where the city-folk differ most from their up-country counterparts. They are well and truly in the rat race to nowhere. They see people around them getting there and when they don't, it opens the door for Mr/Ms Unhappiness to walk right in.

--

Where does the discussion so far then leave us? Are we any closer to unraveling the mystery behind the small-town happiness?

(to be continued...)

The Sea & our hotel at Pondicherry...

When Pondy took the cherry

The agenda: Chill out (or... get wasted - depending how teetotaller-ly you are)

The place: Pondicherry (now Puducherry.. duh!)

The time: Weekend

We set out from Chennai early enough in the morning to hear the cock-a-doodle-do. The ride to Pondy is smooth and splendidly scenic. The road (East Coast Road, as its called) runs along the coast all the way and the cool sea-breeze is a fresh break from the Chennai heat. Going by bike, rather than taking a bus, is not a bad idea. It allows for stops on the way to just admire the vast sea, which is sometimes on both sides of the road! It takes us about 4 hours, but can be covered quicker in a car I guess.

Once we get there, we head straight for the dazzling rock beach promenade/ beach front. Its difficult not to fall in love with it... Its a complete experience; enchanting, powerful, graceful and dangerous at the same time...

There are a few hotels in the area to suit various budgets... We check into the Ajantha Guest House, for a room overlooking the beach. Its a steal for 700 bucks a night (non a/c)! The restaurant/bar alongside it, again called Ajantha (if I remember correctly), makes for a perfect afternoon by the sea.

Being a Union Territory, the booze in Pondy is dirt cheap. 65 bucks for a bottle of beer.. some 250 bucks for a pitcher! The weather is nice & warm and chilllled beer is certainly the drink of choice in the afternoon. The snacks to go along with it are delectable, fish tikka, assorted veggies, all are devoured during the course of the 'session'.

Along the promenade, a 5 minute walk from the Ajantha Guest House, is Le Café. This is the perfect place for breakfast. Good, inexpensive food and the view, outta this world! The mini idlis with sambhar are the best of the lot and I suggest you definitely give 'em a try. On the Sunday that we were there, there was a film being shot at this place and we got box seats (inside the café) alongside the actors after the shot was over!

On Saturday evening, we set off on a 1/2 hour ride to the world-famous Auroville. Along the beach front we could see some foreigners taking walks, but Auroville is teeming with them - Attracted by the promise of a peaceful, better, life... or doing some voluntary work for the local community... We meet people from Chile, Italy & Germany among other countries and they seem to have settled down quite well - an old German couple even bargains in TAMIL with a store-keeper! There's not much to see here otherwise...

The Auro beach is a great place to take an evening walk. If you're with your girl/guy, this place is a must-visit. I imagine it'd be quite a romantic experience... (Of course, I was with a drunk Somesh, who was too busy losing his slippers in the water - and crying that the sea took them away - until it threw the worthless crap back ashore :-P )

Dinner's at the chic Promenade hotel, on the promenade, again... Its a good place to have a nice, proper, sit-down family dinner types... There're two old French couples playing cards and generally having a good time, so I think you get the drift...

The next day we head to Arikamedu. This place about a half hour drive from Pondy is an archeological site and is supposed to have some Roman ruins. But there's absolutely nothing here and if you're archeologically inclined, you can make a trip to the museum which is said to contain most of the remains from these ruins.

So without wasting too much time amongst the ruins, we head straight for Paradise Beach (about 10 mins further down the road). Its advisable to leave for this place just around lunch time to give yourself enough time to spend at the beach. You've to park your vehicle, take a ticket for a ferry across to this island (about 10 mins on the ferry). The last ferry back is at about 4 pm, so plan accordingly. The beach itself is breathtaking. Its a touch crowded on weekends and the guy with the big speaker shouting out to public to stay away from the water can get to be quite a pain. Otherwise, the place really is paradise...!

Pondy was once a French colony, and there're several French restaurants dotting the city. We headed to Satsanga for a drink and snacks. The ambience is nice and quiet with enough light around coz of the open top. The service though is deplorable and the waiters are totally unresponsive. But once the beer & snacks are on the table, all this is easily forgotten :)

There's a beautiful Church, Church of Notre Dame, I think, and we spend some time there. I get to revise my french as I follow Jesus' story on the pictures on the walls. A good place for a nice peaceful afternoon...

After a final refill of food at Le Café, we head back to Chennai... The ride at night is completely different. The vast sea now is completely lost in the darkness and looks like an endless abyss. It'd have been different on a clear, star-lit night... But cloudy night, 'twas a touch unnerving & scary! There're also police checks on the way to ensure we're not carrying back cheap booze or drunk-driving.

--

And so ended the perfectly chilled-out weekend... As it happens, P&G is now taking us for an offsite there this week!! Can't wait!!! Wuhhooo!!!

Jacaranda flowers in Brisbane!

Thanks to my lovely aunt for these pics...

Jacaranda trees in Brisbane... B E A utiful...!

Australia!!

(Written about 3 weeks back, completed today..!)
--

Although I still had more to write on the 'Happiness series' that I started, my thoughts have been completely occupied with my first trip to Australia earlier this month. (I'm still recovering from the hangover of the 'high' that I received from the trip - to Brisbane, Singapore, Bombay & three weddings!)

Given that I was there only in Brisbane, and that too only for three days, which included the wedding (my cousin sis', wuhooo!), one can say that I've not really seen Australia at all. But the flavour that I got of it in this time has me convinced that I will go back there for more!!

Notes from Brisbane...

The first thing that strikes me about Brisbane, (as soon as I land) is the weather. Its just the start of summer here and its not too different from a regular Bombay day. The familiar humidity in the air is gladly welcomed. But then, unlike Bombay, there are hardly any people around. The roads are wide, all of them seeming freshly painted and traffic (whatever little there is) is very orderly.

My uncle turns on the GPS to get to our apartment and it immediately starts barking directions. I can't really imagine using GPS in the narrow roads in Bombay, (or chronicling all the addresses that are there!) but then I guess its already started happening.

The heart of Brisbane is the Brisbane river (innovative name eh!?). It runs through the city and most of the city's happening spots are dotted along it. Our apartment overlooks the river and gives a breathtaking view of the city from the 25th floor!! Its in an area called Quay (pronounced as just K). This also seems to be the office area with buildings of IBM, Oracle and several other big companies right next door.

The parties here sure seem quite a do, with people going around wearing weird costumes with especially fancy head-gear ('tis a Friday night).

There's something about the place which makes me feel instantly at ease. Perhaps its got to do with Australia's history itself, as a vast, welcoming land with people from several countries & continents and races & cultures making it their home. Talking of people, and welcoming, the folks here are simlar to back home in Bombay; always ready to lend a helping hand, give directions and speak with a cordial smile on their face (as opposed to Delhi, where people are cold and unhelpful - Sorry Delhi-lovers, couldn't resist a dig at your fav city :-P ).

When we make a trip to my sis' place, the landscape, awash with purple jacaranda flowers, is breath-taking! (I feel like such a dud not having taken any pics of it! I guess I was too busy admiring the scene!). In general, the residential areas, away from the city, are quiet and peaceful. They remind me of my uncle's place in Sunnyvale, California. Although they're a lot more greener... The neighbours dog is an ageing Golden Retriever and immediately offers himself for a petting. He's a lot bigger than my old pooch Jimmy, but has the same innocent eyes.

A short trip to the Gold Coast makes for a wonderful evening by the sea. There are truly weird looking birds around and about wherever I go. The beaks are almost always twisted at the tip, the for some reason; the birds themselves look stronger, sturdier, than back home.

The Aussies are crazy about fitness. Early in the morning I see several people walking, roller-blading, cycling on the streets... a 'regular' fitness thing I'm told. And with most of the country living very close to the coast, scuba-diving, snorkelling & surfing are also usual ways of keeping fit, and most importantly enjoying oneself while doing so! Folks also go 'bush-walking', taking treks into the bushes (foresty areas basically)!!

But apart from the way of speaking English (the Austraaalyan way), I can't really find much uniquely Australian. I meet people originally from Ireland, Argentina, Korea, England and a host of other nations and each bring about their own bit of flavour to Australia. One common thread though is that all of them truly love and enjoy their freedom.

A longer trip is now certainly on the cards, perhaps 3-4 years down the line... 'til then I'll have this post to reminisce the beautiful time spent in this world away from worlds...